“Relative” Reality
“The level of reality is very high.”
–Bravo producer, “Million Dollar Listing New York”; The Real and Unreal on Reality TV (NYT, May 2, 2013)
First, there was the Crime Scene Investigation (“CSI”) franchise.
As in, “CSI: Las Vegas,” “CSI: Miami,” “CSI: New York,” etc.
Next came The Real Housewives of . . . Beverly Hills, Atlanta, New Jersey, etc.
Will “Million Dollar Listing” — Bravo’s new reality TV show about behind-the-scenes real estate — expand from Los Angeles and New York to other big cities?
Miami and San Francisco (rumored to be next) . . . no doubt.
Minneapolis?
Sorry, I just don’t see it, for three reasons.
Lost in Translation
One. Unlike Manhattan or Los Angeles, there aren’t a lot of buff 20-something Realtors hawking eight figure properties (as in, more than $10 million) in the Twin Cities.
At least that I’m aware of.
Nationally, the average home sells for about $200k, and the average Realtor selling it is . . . well over 50 years old (not a typo).
I happen to think real estate is an interesting, challenging business — I’ve been doing it successfully for over a decade now — but glamorous?
Not so much.
Two. Speaking of glamour . . . the conflicts and cat fights (male and female) that apparently drive these shows (and their ratings) is anathema to seasoned and — dare I say — discrete, seasoned professionals.
Yes, it’s a competitive business, and yes, there are rivalries and tensions.
But those sentiments are usually aired privately, behind closed doors — not on national tv.
Especially in the land of Minnesota Nice.
And while, as a former CPA, I happen to think doing a Comparative Market Analysis (“CMA”) on an Excel spreadsheet is pretty exciting . . . I doubt TV viewers would agree with me — or want to watch.
Three. Time Demands/Client’s Interests.
The first thing a good Realtor contemplating participating on such a show should ask is, “does this serve my client’s interests?”
After all, Realtors are fiduciaries, which means that they’re legally obliged to serve their client’s interests, not their own.
The second obvious question hurdle: “will my client permit it?”
In both cases, the answer would seem to be an obvious “no.”
“Mommy, Why is There A Camera Crew in Our Living Room?”
It’s one thing to ask clients to accommodate photographers, Buyer showings, open houses, and other intrusions.
But, inviting a camera crew into a Seller’s home would seem to be well beyond the pale (isn’t anyone in Manhattan or Los Angeles raising young children??).
Meanwhile, the preening, self-absorbed Realtors on these shows seem to have a lot of time on their hands that busy Realtors . . . don’t.
If I had an upper bracket home to sell in Manhattan, Los Angeles or some other posh locale, the last person I’d entrust to sell it would be one of these callow, fame-seeking creeps.
